Belgacom chief urges regulators to show restraint

Date: 05/07/01

By Dennis Abbott

Belgacom chief executive John Goossens has accused the EU of proposing an overly burdensome regulatory framework for emerging sectors in the telecoms market.

Speaking at a reception of the European telecommunications network operators' association (ETNO), he said: "Regulators are focusing more and more on very dynamic markets such as mobile and data. On the one hand, no harmonisation effort was done at European level to ensure future-orientated investment at affordable and level-playing terms in 3G licences. On the other hand ever more regulatory pressure is put on the day-to-day operations and future profit-ability of mobile operators. The same is true for the data market, which is truly emerging and where full competition is in place. The need for regulation is hence very limited. However, this is not what we presently observe in the European telecom environment."

Goossens said no other industry in recent years had realised such a spectacular development in product and services and at the same time "such a spectacular decrease" in prices.

The EU institutions and member states, together with the Belgian presidency, had a "crucial responsibility" to maintain the momentum created by liberalisation. "That is the real challenge of e-Europe," he added.

Belgacom chief executive John Goossens has accused the EU of proposing an overly burdensome regulatory framework for emerging sectors in the telecoms market.